


Wild Is the Wind

by 11likeswritingfanfiction



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: Dark Past, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Mental Health Issues, Neighbors, Obsession, Older Woman/Younger Man, Orphans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Pregnancy, Romance, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:55:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27677045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/11likeswritingfanfiction/pseuds/11likeswritingfanfiction
Summary: Petunia Murdoc, who's staying with her friend Sophie, and her daughter Gigi, meets Sophie's reclusive neighbor, Mr. Fleck.
Relationships: Arthur Fleck/Original Female Character(s), Arthur Fleck/Original Female Character(s) of Color
Kudos: 12





	1. Meeting Mr. Fleck.

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the mid-late 70s or the early 80s. Not sure yet.  
> Also Hi! I was discussing Joker with a friend and got inspired to write a romance between him a female character about a decade older than him. I was going to write this a reader fic...but then things got outta hand ;;-;;. I see a lot of fics with the love interest being younger, so I figured let's throw in a woman a bit older to shake things up. The events of the first couple of chapters happen a year or two before the events of Joker to allow for certain things to occurs and relationships to grow more organically. And yes, Arthur is probably gonna be creepy here, although a lot of those unfavorable habits will be revealed later. Although in the tags, I want to say that both SA and Child ABuse will be referenced or mentioned but won't be talked about in detail.

Petunia has a lot of dreams.

Some, lost to time, given up, or still pursuit.

And how long will she have until those dreams are fulfilled? Maybe she’d be working at it her whole life. No one knows for certain. That’s how things were in the place she called home, Gotham. She stares at the tiles she had been scrubbing and her dark eyes turned sullen.

Then she shakes her head and smiles, before rising to her feet with a soft grunt. The little bugger she called her niece should be up anytime, and she’d have to dally if she’d like to get ready for school. She scrubbed her hands and made her way to the girl’s room. 

The incoming light flashes against her skin as she moves, revealing the wrinkles of her increasing age and dwindling body. Her face wasn’t at all sharp, instead but soft and round. Her usually poofy, larger than life hair was pinned into a tight bun to look neater appearance-wise. Her dark skin, which had been so deep that her hues gave off the feeling of a starless night sky, shone cooly in the approaching morning.

Petunia stops at the large door, pausing before knocking.

“Gigi?” She cautiously states, her voice husky, but softening in the presence of a child.

She met Sophie when she was thirty-five, and she was twenty after they met each other at a downbeat night club in downtown Gotham. The two women stayed close, with Petunia helping the young woman through her own unplanned pregnancy at twenty-two. And eight years later, Sophie graciously lent her home as a shelter, which was a rarity in Gotham--so with Petunia’s insistence that she’d at least help out with chores and taking care of young Gigi. 

She was met with a young girl’s voice and the pattering of footsteps.

“Auntie ‘Tunia!”

“Hello, My Sweet Girl.” The older woman croons, pulling the pajama-clad girl into her arms with a mildly tight squeeze.

“Your Mama had some important, Adult things to do so I’m taking you to school again today. Won’t that be fun?” Gigi quickly nods, sprinting pff the bathroom, saying she’d wash up by herself as her mother taught her to. Petunia grins, making her way to Sophie’s room to change her clothes. She’d be working with a cleaning company, tidying up buildings yet to be used or opened. It wasn't much but it's the best she could do with the history she had. By the time finished fixing up Gigi a PB sandwich (since the girl stated many times that jelly was icky.) and made their way to the elevator. Thankfully, the person who entered before them held the door open with his foot. She settled in pleased to see their destined floor was the same.

The man, who had held the door for them, had backed off to a corner. He was thin, tall but not too tall. He was surely taller than her 5 ft 3 stature but wasn’t as tall as an average man. He wore a set neutral-colored brown suit, his hair slicked back. 

“Oh thank goodness!”

Petunia smiles when he turns his head to her at her words. Her smile to toothy, full of crooked teeth and a prominent gap. She’s smoothening the hair of the girl attached to her hips when she continues to speak.

“Really, thank you. Gigi, What do you say to the nice man?” The girl looks between the two adults and quietly replied, “Thank you, Mister Fleck.”

Fleck?

“So, your name is Fleck?” Although the man known as Mr. Fleck doesn’t reply, the woman gives him a grin, stating,

“You must be Sophie’s neighbor--I’m her Aunt, Petunia. It’s nice to see a nice person with manners living in this building.” ‘or in Gotham really.’

Again, he doesn’t say anything, but Petunia doesn’t mind it much. People like their silence, that’s all. When The elevator stops, and they make it to the ground floor, she waves at him a bit.

“Nice meeting you, Mr. Fleck.”


	2. Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petunia and Arthur reunite after she finds him assaulted in an alley--Arthur, slowly finds himself at the mercy of a charmind, older woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! This may float between multiple third person POVs, which are going to be sprinkled here and there. Also, before the chapter begins, here's an AI-made portrait of how I'd imagine Petunia to look, face wise.

Petunia is walking around a bit after about five hours of working--Sophie would get off in enough time to pick up Gigi, and she didn’t have another gig to attend to so she didn’t have much to do. She clutched her purse as she navigated an alley backway, it was during the day, but most police don’t bother with these areas--for that reason she got ‘that thing’ on her.

She’s trapped in her thoughts, when she hears a man’s shriek. Her hand snaps, almost like whiplash into the direction of a sight that infuriates her--a man, dressed up as the one thing on earth that existed to make children happy--a clown, was being stomped and attacked by a group of kids

“What in the world? Stop that!” The woman’s stare was steely, she grasped a gun, pointing it at the group. She holds it, cocked to it’s side--as if she’s been through this scenario before. Wearing a baby pink maid’s uniform with the name ‘Petunia’ written in cherry-red script, her voice comes up cold and steady.

“Drop that clown or I’m aiming for your kneecaps.”

A gasp--one coming from a teen who looks particularly scared. But another, who seems unfazed by the short woman holding a small pistol, laughs at her instead.

“I said drop the clown, now!”

In response, she lands a shot at her feet--not hitting anything, but being particularly too close for comfort. Looking at each other, the youth collectively decide that the altercation wasn’t worth it. The group of teens stops their assault, looking up at the older woman, cursing as they flee away. Petunia, in her faux fur overcoat, bends down to check on the victim of this altercation.

“My goodness, are you alright?” Her small hand, raising the head of the person--her eyes widening when she sees his face.

“Mr. Fleck? Oh my god, Mr. Fleck!” The man looks as if he’s surprised at her words, still in place on the ground. She rushes to bring him up to his feet and quickly looks over his injuries.

“Those rotten kids...they grow a little older and suddenly they rule the world--well, I was like that age too, but didn’t go around beating up clowns.” 

Arthur startled still, shakes his head. 

“Ms. Murdoc I--” However her glare stops him from speaking.

Arthur looks quite helpless before laugh, uncontrollably.

He remembers the cards he’d acquired from his social worker--he carefully gives her a card, which she gently begins to read.

“‘My name is Arthur. I suffer from Pseudobulbar, which causes me to suddenly laugh.’--oh, you poor thing.” Petunia looks pained, unconsciously tucking his wavy, brunette hair. Arthur is surprised by the action, although he wonders why he’s been filled with wonderment by the same woman on the same day.

She coughs, dropping her wondering hand.

“Well then, Arthur--let’s get you fixed up, as good as we can.”

They made it back to Sophie’s apartment, where they had some first aid supplies--Arthur, almost obediently sitting at the dining table. Petunia knew Sophie didn’t like strangers over--it was Gotham of all places--but seeing they wouldn’t be home for another three hours, and an injured man in the same apartment complex, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep it a secret.

“This’ll sting, just a bit, Arthur.” She says his name with something that could be described as a girlish quip, as if she was giddy to know his name.

“So, you’re a clown, one for hire?” Petunia begins, hoping to make conversation with him. She found him interesting, between her pitying him and understanding a bit. Arthur nods, wincing as she applies care to his wounds.

After a beat of silence, he answers her.

“Y-yeah. It pays the bills, you know? But--”

“You want to do more?”

He nods with trepidation as she puts a bandage on his cheek.

“Then what is it?”

“Huh?”

She titters, at his confusion, closing up the box of bandages and gauzes.

“Would you like some water, tea, or Kool-Aid? I made it extra sweet?”

Seeing her smile, Arthur felt at a loss of words.

Her smile was the thing that was extra sweet, littered with imperfection that added to it’s charm. He felt his heart pound--this kind of kindness, for an outcast like him.

It left him wanting more of it.


	3. Wild Is The Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petunia and Arthur reflect on each other and the day's events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Song playing for this chapter is Wild Is The Wind by Amel Larrieux (you can listen to it her: Amel Larrieux - Wild as the Wind - YouTube)
> 
> Also you can buy me a coffee for a $1 each if you'd like here: https://ko-fi.com/elevenmurdoc

After bathing his mother and putting her to bed, Arthur stood in his room, touching the bandage on his cheek absent-mindedly. Tears slip down his cheeks, sitting upon his bed like a man graced by a holy touch. 

Her kindness was clear, her motive for helping her seemed so sincere that he couldn’t but to believe her. She was older than him, she wore a cleaner’s uniform--perhaps that was her profession? He wasn’t sure but despite that her hands were soft, minimal amounts of calluses could be seen. 

She was through and gentle.

She--Petunia, was like a unicorn in Gotham. 

He wants to hold onto her, hide her from the dangers outside factors.

He’s lost in his own thoughts and fantasies when he hears it. 

A woman’s voice singing a lovely yet haunting tune--and he decides that since he was in a better mood than usual, that he wanted to dance, with the image of Petunia as his partner.

How would she move? Elegant and with precision, or wild and untamed?

_ You _

_ Touch me _

_ I hear the sound _

_ Of mandolins _

_ You _

_ Kiss me _

_ With your kiss _

_ My life begins _

_ You're spring to me _

_ All things _

_ To me _

The moment was there, he closed his eyes as he slowly sways. 

Then--

“SHUT THAT RACK UP!”

\--banging. A man’s voice telling the person to ‘quiet down with all the racket’--the feeling, the magic that was brought by the unplanned dies with the intrusion. 

The music stops and silence overcomes next door.

“Happy?”

Arthur, with a slight smile on his face, opens the door after hearing his mother’s voice and a precocious knock on her door.

“Mother? Are you unable to sleep?”   
....

....

Petunia looked over at Gigi who drowsy looked at her as she finished up Alice In Wonderland--with Sophie standing in the door with a smile on her face.

“--perhaps even with the dream of Wonderland of long ago: and how she would feel with all their simple sorrows, and find pleasure in all their simple joys, remembering her own child-life, and the happy summer days...” The older woman peeped and sighed in relief when she saw the girl was sleeping soundly.

“You know, Gigi missed her Aunt Petunia.” Petunia laughs, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

“I know, I know I was just--”  
“In a bad place for a while? Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re together.” Her grin gives her a bit of reassurance as the two longtime friends chatted and drank until about 10 pm when they both decide to retire to their quarters--Sophia to her room and her spot on their balcony, with her record player and her eyes trained on the sky. 

Letting the needle drop the record, she began to hug her knees. Her white nightgown flowing in the night’s breeze.

_ Love me, love me, say you do _

_ Let me fly away with you _

_ For my love is like the wind _

_ And wild is the wind _

_ Give me more than one grasp _

_ To satisfy this hungriness _

_ Let the wind blow through your heart _

_ And wild is the wind _

The moon was full, as well as her heart. So full that she wondered if she could suppress the feel.

One question lingered on her mind.

Just who is Arthur Fleck?

Sophie, from their conversations, he was a cold homebody who took care of his ailing mother. He was a single middle-aged man living with his mother he took care of. The friend’s words were a clear warning for her not to get involved with him, though little did she know he managed to burrow deep into her mind.

Something about him caught her eye. Perhaps it was the moment she saw him in the elevator, or when she helped patch up his wounds.


End file.
